The present invention refers to a packing apparatus for filling or/and emptying bottle cases or the like, comprising an extension arm, which is adapted to have attached thereto a bottle gripping head and which is articulated on two articulation points with the aid of first and second steering means, which are each connected to a basic frame at an articulation point, thus defining a rod means which is adapted to be moved after the fashion of the bars of a parallelogram, the first one of the two steering means being provided with a cam element, and a horizontal control element being provided, which is rotatable about a shaft and constructed after the fashion of a cam disk with a guide path and on which the cam element is guided with movement of the rod means and with generation of an essentially horizontal motion of the suspension point for the gripping head when the horizontal control element is being rotated, and further comprising means for generating an essentially vertical motion of the suspension point, which is superimposed on said horizontal motion.
DE 34 20 143 C1 discloses a packing apparatus in the case of which an extension arm provided with a bottle gripping head is moved essentially horizontally via the bars of a parallelogram, said bars of a parallelogram being connected to a crank, which is driven by a motor, so that they can be moved via a pusher. For effecting a vertical movement of the gripping head, which is connected to the extension arm, a separate drive means is provided, which, just as the drive means for the bars of the parallelogram, comprises a motor with a crank and a pusher connecting the crank and the extension arm.
A packing apparatus of the type mentioned at the beginning is known from U.S. Pat. No. 2,771,202. In the case of this apparatus, a vertically movable suspension for a bottle gripping means is provided on the extension arm. The extension arm, which comprises two horizontally spaced legs, is provided with approximately vertically extending guide paths in which a transverse support means can be moved vertically, said transverse support means being arranged between said legs and being adapted to have attached thereto bottle gripping means. A vertical movement of the transverse support means is effected via a separate lifting rod system whose movement is again controlled via the horizontal control element under cooperation of a spring means.
The present invention is based on the task of providing a packing apparatus which is improved in comparison with this prior art.